During Summer Game Fest 2025, I was able to go hands-on with Sega’s upcoming ninja slice-and-dice action title, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance. This is perhaps an important title, at least for me, as I grew up on the Shinobi series, dating back to the arcades, then to the Sega Master System, Sega Genesis, Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, and even the Nintendo 3DS. Then, like that, the Shinobi franchise disappeared for decades. But that’s water under the bridge, as Shinobi is not only back, or will be, but it’s kicking ass and taking names with Shinobi: Art of Vengeance.
Familair But Similar
The premise of Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is pretty straightforward. The main star of the Shinobi series, Joe Musashi, comes out of retirement to take on the ENE corporation, which has laid waste to his village. Of course, Joe won’t let this stand and sets out on a journey to put ENE into the dirt.
What’s interesting is that the game has familiar events that took place during The Revenge of Shinobi and Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master. However, it’s important to note that this new title is more of a soft reboot than anything, and it doesn’t fit in with the prior Shinobi timeline.
Joe’s Back… With a Vengeance
My hands-on with Shinobi: Art of Vengeance took place across two different stages during the Summer Game Fest demo. The first stage introduced the core game mechanics and ended with a boss fight, while the second stage took place much later in the game and required mastering some more advanced fighting mechanics. The later stage also had trickier platforming and enemies that demanded not just quick button presses but also some crafty maneuvering. Thankfully, I was up to the task, and I felt I did a good job.
Across these stages, I was impressed with what Sega has accomplished with Shinobi: Art of Vengeance. This isn’t the Shinobi you may have played in the past. It’s so much more. Combos aplenty, along with some very cool ninja magic that you’ll need to incorporate into your play style if you want to make it past even the first stage. Similar to modern action games, Joe has access to multiple button-press moves that you can string into fast-hitting attacks, which can then chain into more damaging moves, such as a powerful thrusting attack or a downward kick. The fluidity of the combat system had me experimenting with multiple ways to dispatch enemies, and I loved it.
I also faced two separate bosses at the end of the stages. The first one, a demonic Ape creature, placed a shield in front of him that required me to roll behind him to deal damage, all while dodging his damaging fire attacks as he moved around the screen. The other boss, a spider mech, was practically invulnerable, so I had to focus on destroying the energy shield it deployed while dodging its attacks that ranged from gunfire, napalm grenades, and dashed back and forth across the screen. It felt fresh and challenging, yet still enjoyable.
Outside of the action, there are other things to do in the game, such as locating relics that fans of collecting every hidden thing in a game are going to enjoy. There are stores where you can purchase new moves and gear. There are even hidden challenge events that push you to the limits by dropping in challenging enemies with stronger movesets, with the stages themselves also working against you. Surviving them will reward you handsomely.
Visually, the game looks amazing. It features a fantastic 2D hand-drawn art style that looks stunning in motion and simply has to be seen to be believed. This extends to the Ninjutsu arts and Ninpo that you’ll utilize, as well as the enemies that want to see you breathe your last breath.
Verdict
While I only had access to a small slice of Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, what I did play has me very excited to get my hands on the full game when it launches later in 2025. No, it’s not the Shinobi I grew up with. It’s much more. It’s modernized, fast-paced, and I think it’ll make long-time fans happy to see it return while bringing new gamers into the fold.
Sega has done what I honestly didn’t expect them to pull off — bringing Joe out of retirement and making it seem like he hasn’t missed a step since Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master, which in my mind was the best Shinobi game Sega ever developed. But after finally playing Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, I may just have to rethink that statement.
Sure, I could be biased, but seriously, just this small slice gave me goosebumps. When my time was up with the demo, I could only think of ways to trick my way back into the Sega booth to get some more time with the game. It’s that good. And damn, the wait until the game gets released is going to feel even longer now that I’ve played it.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance will be released on August 29, 2025, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC (Steam).
